The performance of an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor operated at ambient temperature (20.9–25.2°C) was analysed for the treatment of slaughterhouse wastewater previously pre-treated for solid separation. The experimental work was carried out in a reactor with 15 L effective volume. Four organic loads were applied and the process performance was evaluated. The COD removal rate increased with the load rise from 4 to 15 kg COD.m−3.d−1. Removal efficiencies of 90% were obtained with a load of 15 kg COD.m−3.d−1. The entrapment of suspended solids in the sludge blanket was greater in proportion during the first two stages due to the low upflow velocities used when loads of 4 and 7 kg COD.m−3.d−1 were evaluated. This phenomenon did not affect the structure of the biological grains or their methanogenic activity. More than 50% of the organic nitrogen was degraded, causing a 3% increase of ammonia concentration. The concentrations of the volatile fatty acids were not high and the wastewater alkalinity was enough to prevent acidification. The yield coefficient of methane production increased with the load rise, reaching 0.266 m3/kg CODremoved at 15 kg COD.m−3.d−1 organic load. The UASB reactor is a good option for the biological treatment of pre-treated slaughterhouse wastewater. However, additional treatment is required in order to accomplish the water quality requirements in discharges to water bodies.

Related articles

This month we are focusing on the control of sludge blanket build up in Lamella Clarifiers. Lamella Clarifiers, also known as Inclined Plate Separators (IPS) are in common use at Waste Water Treatment Sites as small footprint plant settlement units and are often employed in place of conventional settling tanks.
Controlling Sludge Blanket Build up
Effluent enters the Lamella Clarifier via an inlet pipe, entering the plates through the side openings where the liquids and solids are then separated. The liquid...

With over 50 years of design and manufacturing experience, we are rightly proud of our British-built environmentally friendly SludgeWatch 715 Sludge Blanket Detector.
Our user-friendly design is highly portable, simple to use and along with its low cost has worldwide appeal. Things have changed somewhat since our first Sludge Blanket Detector was made back in 1974. No more messy man-handling of tubes containing contaminated waste, the SludgeWatch 715 Blanket Detector is an important health and safety device....

In this study, granular sludge formation was carried out using an aluminum chloride supplement in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor treating natural rubber processing wastewater. Results show that during the first 75 days after the start-up of the UASB reactor with an organic loading rate (OLR) of 2.65 kg-COD·m−3·day−1, it performed stably with a removal of 90% of the total chemical oxygen demand (COD) and sludge still remained in small dispersed flocs. However, after aluminum chloride was added...

The performance characteristics of relatively shallow (3.3 and 3.7 m sidewater depth in 30.5 m diameter) activated sludge secondary clarifiers were extensively evaluated during a 2-year testing program at the City of Akron Water Reclamation Facility (WRF), Ohio, USA. Testing included hydraulic and solids loading stress tests, and measurement of sludge characteristics (zone settling velocity (ZSV), dispersed and flocculated total suspended solids), and the results were used to calibrate computational fluid dynamic...

Erosion is any horticulturist’s worst nightmare. From the process of replanting and restoration, to the loss of the most fertile soil, i.e. the topsoil, erosion can have damaging effects on any cultivation. Although erosion is mainly associated with water erosion, wind erosion and tillage are another two forms of erosion.
So what are the signs that can help identify erosion early on? Below are a few of the factors that affect soil erosion;
The structure and texture of the soil will determine the erodibili...

Customer comments

No comments were found for Treatment of slaughterhouse wastewater in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor. Be the first to comment!